Have you ever felt low and less motivated? Have you lost the will to carry on despite the activities that used to bring you a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment? Have you ever felt so lonely and isolated, where no amount of encouraging words will suffice to make you feel better? Imagine these negative emotions taking its toll on your daily life for a prolonged period of time. A lot of people with depression are left untreated and undiagnosed because they tend to just brush it off. There are possible reasons why sometimes it ends up to harmful consequences such as suicide. It could be because of social stigma, culture, lack of information or education regarding its causes, signs, and symptoms.

Imagine these negative emotions taking its toll on your daily life for a prolonged period of time. A lot of people with depression are left untreated and undiagnosed because they tend to just brush it off. There are possible reasons why sometimes it ends up to harmful consequences such as suicide. It could be because of social stigma, culture, lack of information or education regarding its causes, signs, and symptoms.

The struggle is real

Why don’t we imagine being in the shoes of the people who are depressed? Some of them describe it as being against themselves, a living hell inside your thoughts slowly eating you up inside and out. It’s another day again. The alarm rang and gently you open your eyes. Despite having a reasonable amount of sleep, you still feel tired and exhausted, wanting to cover yourself with your blanket and go back to sleep right away. No, it’s not laziness. You wanted to get up and do something. You were able to drag your body out of the bed to stand and face yourself in the mirror. Suddenly, the voice inside your head is telling you how unpretty and undeserving you are. Little by little the doubt is eating you up. You went down on your knees, you broke into tears, you bang your head on the wall. You feel nothing, the physical pain is reassuring the invisible pain inside. You do not want the feeling but it is there. The negative thoughts resulted to nausea, a sense of impending doom, lack of appetite, insomnia and worst the recurring thoughts of hurting oneself.

It’s another day. The alarm rang and gently you open your eyes. Despite having a reasonable amount of sleep, you still feel tired and exhausted, wanting to cover yourself with your blanket and go back to sleep right away. No, it’s not laziness. You wanted to get up and do something. You were able to drag your body out of the bed to stand up and face yourself in the mirror. Suddenly, the voice inside your head is telling you how unpretty and undeserving you are. Little by little the doubt is eating you up. You went down on your knees, you broke into tears, you bang your head on the wall. You feel nothing, the physical pain is reassuring the invisible pain inside. You do not want the feeling but it is there. The negative thoughts resulted to nausea, a sense of impending doom, lack of appetite, insomnia and worst the recurring thoughts of hurting oneself.

Suddenly, the voice inside your head is telling you how unpretty and undeserving you are. Little by little the doubt is eating you up. You went down on your knees, you broke into tears, and you bang your head on the wall. You feel nothing. The physical pain is reassuring the invisible pain inside. You do not want the feeling but it is there. The negative thoughts often result to nausea, a sense of impending doom, lack of appetite, insomnia and worst, recurring thoughts of hurting oneself.

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It follows you outside the bedroom, the house and to your workplace. You hear the noise outside, the people talking but none of what you hear makes sense. Everyday the cycle continues – battling the demons inside your head. You become irrational because of the false thoughts.

The help they need

For us who are more aware of the warning signs, it is vital to realize that remarks such as “cheer up” and “you’ll get through this bad day” are not enough for people fighting depression. It is a serious, severe and stubborn kind of mental condition. What they need is a listening ear, a compassionate hand and a lot of understanding. They need the encouragement to seek professional help without prejudice so they can receive the proper treatment for their condition.

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Provide the person with resources and hotlines that they can call to seek help. It is also helpful to remember that depressed people lack the will power, so making an appointment with the doctor or therapist can be challenging. It can be helpful if you make this a team effort by setting goals and consistently being there for the other person. Engaging in productive activities such as exercise and a healthier lifestyle or diet can boost the mood and outlook of a person.

This is very heartbreaking. You are in a relationship with the love of your life. You thought that everything will be smooth sailing. You never expected to have this fiasco of betrayal and lies, but it still happened. He cheated on you. So to get even with you, you also cheated on him. Is there a chance to salvage your almost fairy tale relationship?

Children usually can’t wait to grow up and start living life the way they like it. Little do they know that being an adult is so much harder than being a child. Adulthood involves a lot of decision making and there is no safety net that will save you when something goes wrong.

Your teenage years are your initiation into adulthood. During these years, you are given a trial version of how to live your life as an adult. You will be given some responsibilities but at the same time, you are given a leeway to find your way to develop your standards, to commit minor mistakes and to decide which path to follow once you are an adult.

Most of us are not spared from experiencing heartache, losing a job, or grieving from the death of a loved one. These life experiences are some of the causes of anxiety and depression. But what is the difference between the two?

Depression vs. Anxiety

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Depression and anxiety are two of the most prevalent mental health concerns in the world today. They can happen together, but they are actually not the same. Anxiety disorders may come in the form of panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, agoraphobia, and other specific phobias. Depression, on the other hand, is a state of being down, sad, discouraged, and hopeless. People who are anxious are often worried that something bad is about to happen. They try to keep away from things that they think might cause future problems for them. People who suffer from depression are different in that they think things will never go right. They are pessimistic and often have suicidal thoughts.

Anxiety may lead to depression, as someone with a severe anxiety disorder may end up feeling hopeless and unmotivated. Correspondingly, many people who have depression have had a history of anxiety in the past. Statistics have not shown that one disorder can cause the other, but nearly half of those diagnosed with anxiety disorders are also diagnosed with depression. Continue reading “Understanding Anxiety And Depression”→

You might have heard of it from your trouble neighbor or from a friend who suffers from constant anxiety. They may have mentioned that they’re doing online counseling to help them deal with their everyday stresses. And you probably have some idea about it, but what really is E-counseling? How does it work? What is it and what is it not?

Definition

Simply put, e-counseling is a method of providing mental health services through the web. Online therapy, online teletherapy and cyber counseling are some of its other names. It is a fast-rising tool wherein an individual seeking professional help communicates with a counselor or therapist via email, chat or video conferencing to replace the traditional face to face therapy. Some people may also prefer to combine the two modalities. Continue reading “What You Need To Know About E-Counseling”→

Are you one of those soon-to-be-moms who had a bout of misery and panic attack when you found out you were pregnant? Did you ever feel guilty for being so unhappy about the supposedly good news? Then this article is for you. Let us find out the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’ of pregnancy depression and how we can deal with them.

When you realize that your physical exhaustion has been too much lately, or you want to sleep more often than expected, or that you feel terrified thinking about what might happen to you and the baby, you may be experiencing prenatal depression. But be assured that you are not alone. Studies have shown that one out of ten expecting women suffer from depression at some point of their pregnancy. Generally, there is an overflow of hormones during pregnancy which may be coupled with feelings of anxiety, irritability, and chronic sadness. These emotions make pregnant women susceptible to depression, an illness that needs to be addressed.

The idea of going to an office and sharing their concerns with a therapist face to face scares many people. They might have been feeling anxious and a bit off for months now, but they never have the nerves to call for an appointment to begin with! They try talking to a friend or a family member, but sometimes when the stress level is too high and the pressures are piling up, you know your mind and body needs professional help. This is exactly the reason why online counseling has become very popular nowadays.

The emergence of finding help online has been making its way to changing the conventional methods of trying to help people solve their life problems. Such sensitive issues as depression, anxiety disorders, and different types of addiction are now being tackled by certified therapists helping people with addiction, depression, and anxiety disorders through a one-on-one live counseling from the comfort of their homes, or wherever they may feel safe, for that matter. There are two major services offered online: assessment and therapy. The former utilizes self-scored quizzes, evaluations, and examinations, and the latter involves the actual therapy session in a chat room.

Visiting an online therapist is the step in the right direction. When you have been feeling lost and very anxious and even a bit depressed, it’s time you get someone to talk to. Sometimes, it’s far easier to talk to someone you don’t know as they can offer an unbiased view. Choosing online therapy has really taken off within recent years and it’s now bigger than ever, but why? Why are people now choosing online therapy?

It’s fast and convenient

Online therapy is very popular today and one of the biggest reasons why is down to convenience. When you want to talk to someone you have the ability to find a service then and there and not wait another three or four weeks to get an appointment. That can actually be very useful and very much needed for a wide variety of people. What’s more, online sessions can be a lot faster and that is something in which people want. Who wants to have to wait weeks on end for an appointment or go through miles of travel? Online offers a faster and more convenient service for most people.

Do you think about online therapy? You aren’t alone in this as there are thousands of people throughout the world who want and need some therapy. Of course, when people think about therapy they think about sitting on a long sofa and recanting painful childhood memories but that isn’t how it works always! Therapy can, however, make for a better life. Read on to find out how therapy can help you and make for a better life. Continue reading “How Therapy Can Make For a Better Life”→

Have you ever thought about online counseling? You aren’t alone in that thought and there seems to be more who love the idea of getting some help to deal with their anxieties than ever before. Getting help to deal with anxiety can be extremely important and not as difficult as you might think either. Counseling might just be able to help you deal with your anxiety issues and it can be a wise move to think about too.

You Can Talk Out Your Fears and Worries

Who honestly thinks talking about a problem will make it go away? Well, sometimes, it can help to talk through the fears, worries, and concerns you have as sometimes that’s all you need. With free online counseling, you can have someone to talk to who can offer an unbiased view and just be there for you. What’s more, if you feel a little unsure of talking about your anxieties to a friend or family member, a counselor can be ideal. They don’t have to share anything you say so you can feel very confident about what you share with them. It’s a simpler way to deal with your anxieties.